Living in the City
by Rose Mistress
Summary: Yugi was a lonely little kitten that lost his way but was found by a pack of strays led by Yami and Aqua. An incident led Yugi to get captured by the dog catcher but will his life end at his hands or will he get another chance at life?


Summary: Yugi, a tiny kitten that lost his mother is now left to roam the streets of New York City with no hope of living to the next day. But that changed when he came across a streetwise gang of dogs whose leader is ready to help him out.

Disclaimer: Don't own Yugioh or the song that gave me inspiration to come up with this idea [I'm keeping that a secret -winks- but you'll see it done by our favorite characters in here so yeah, don't own the song either]

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Living in the City

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"Mama! Mama!" A young kitten cried as he wandered through the dark alleyway. It was a dangerous place for this young oriental shorthair but he didn't know that. "Mama..." he whimpered and sat down. He looked up as he heard some trash rustle and soon, a couple dogs came from the shadows. One grinned. "Well look what we have here. Fresh meat." Yugi whimpered again, ears folded back and tail tucked between his legs. He surely couldn't outrun them so he was a dead kitten for sure. "Well, who's gonna get 'im, Keith?" One of the other dogs barked and Keith huffed. "Well me of course! I'm the leader!" he said as he walked towards the kitten.

"No! Go away! Leave me alone!" he cried as he decided to listen to his flight instinct and run. But he didn't get far as two more dogs blocked his way. "Hey Keith, what are you doing in my territory?" The German shepherd growled and Keith returned the gesture. "None of your damn business, mutt!"

"Well either or, leave this little kitten alone and get the hell out of here before we tear into your other ear." Keith grumbled softly before he called out to Sakate, Takaido and Kozuka and left the alley. The first dog walked over to the small kitten and lowered his head down. "You alright, kid?" he asked softly. Yugi whimpered again and shuffled away from them. "Aww, looks like he's a little frightened, Yami. We should take him back with us to the hideout." The Dutch shepherd spoke and Yami nodded in agreement to that idea.

"Yeah. Let's get moving now. You know that damn dog catcher will be out and about and we don't need to be captured." Yami spoke as he ran off. The other nodded before looking down to the small kitten. "Come on, little one. We'll take care of you." he whispered. Yugi looked up to the black dog with odd crimson eyes. If it wasn't for them, he would've been dead, so he nodded, smiling a little and the other smiled before picking him up gently into his jaws and trotted off behind Yami.

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When they reached the hideout, Yami gave a howl before taking a seat and waited. Soon, more dogs started to come out of varying breeds. A Canaan, a Malamute, a Rough Collie, an Akita, a Swedish Elkhound, a Golden Retriever, a Saarloos wolfdog and a Korean Jindo. "You're back. So find anything?" The Elkhound questioned. "Nothing much, Kaiba. That idiot Keith was in our area again and nearly made a snack out of a defenseless kitten. Aqua's bringing him here in a bit." he explained.

The Malamute chuckled. "That idiot is going to get a paw broken if he keeps messing with us."

"And it'll probably be by your teeth, ain't it, Bakura?" The retriever answered and Bakura chuckled again. The little Akita whimpered. "Just don't get into a bloody fight, Bakura, please." Bakura looked to the Akita and nodded. "I won't, Ryou. You know I'll always come back to you." Ryou smiled, wagging his tail before looking to the door again as Aqua came in with the little kitten in his mouth. He gently placed Yugi down but the other stuck close to him. "So, is this the little guy you save from Keith and his lackeys?"

"Yeah." Aqua answered before looking down. "So what's your name, kid?" Yugi looked up to him. "It's Yugi...who are you all?" Aqua smiled and nudged him forward. "Well, Yugi, you can stick here with us. You're quite a young one to be out here on the streets of New York all alone. Any dog will prey on you when they're hungry enough. But you don't have to worry about this with any of us." Yugi sniffled a little as he looked up to him. "Really?"

The retriever hopped forward and nodded, tail wagging. "Yeah! We're a swell bunch! You'll see. Anyways, I'm Jounouchi, but you can call me Jou. That old Elkhound over there is Seto. The Akita is Ryou, the Malamute is his mate, Bakura, the Rough Collie is Ryou's sibling, Diamond, and her mate, Crimson, the cranky Saarloos wolfdog over there, my bro Kaiser, the Canaan and his mate, Ruby, the smart looking Korean Jindo." he introduced and Crimson huffed at his introduction, gnawing on a bone. "Shut up, Jounouchi before I come over there."

"Alright, that's enough out of the two of you." Yami spoke before looking back to Yugi. "And I'm Yami and over there is my sibling Aqua. We'll keep you safe so for now, just stick with us and we'll help you learn the ways of the streets." he said and Yugi smiled and nodded. "Thanks so much! I'm glad I met such a nice bunch like you!" he said happily and Yami smiled before telling the other to go off and do as they wished since he was heading off to bed. Yugi yawned and Aqua laughed softly. "Looks like you're tired too. Go on, Yami can share his bed with you." Yugi nodded and said his good nights before following behind the larger dog.

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The next morning, the hideout was pretty much empty by the time Yugi woke up beside Yami. He gave a yawn and stretched a little before looking up to Yami, seeing the other was still sleeping. he smiled and licked the side of his muzzle softly before moving off the old ruined cushion and headed out, looking for anyone else. His tiny stomach rumbled and he mewled pitifully. "I'm hungry...but I can't go out there alone..." he murmured softly. "Then come along with us, little one." Aqua spoke up as he came out. "We're going for breakfast since the others are doing the same their own way." he said and Yugi nodded. "How are we gonna get breakfast?" Aqua winked to him before he went to go rouse Yami. "You'll see." Yugi tilted his head curiously before nodding.

When Yami was up and ready to go, they left to head into the urban jungle of New York City.

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"Now, life on the street is rough since we strays need to watch out for one thing and one thing only."

"What's that?"

"The dog catcher. But he really isn't just a catcher for dogs, he gets cats too but they're usually craftier so they give him more trouble. But if he saw you out there, he wouldn't give you the slip since you're just a kitten." Yami explained and Yugi shivered at the thought. "What...what does the dog catcher do?" Yugi asked.

"He catches us and puts us in cages. We get a three day limit to see if someone actually comes in the adopt us. If not...then we're put to sleep." Aqua said and Yugi gasped. "That's horrible! How do you know of this?" Yami looked down. "Because we lost a few of our own to such a fate. And we lost someone in our group just recently. Akefia, a friend of ours, was captured. We don't know how he's handling himself because we have our own problem should we step into the lot." Yami said and stopped and Yugi looked back to him. "Yami?"

Aqua looked back to them before turning and walked back over, looking down to Yugi. "It's his older brother, Atemu. It's a long story to go through but they were separated when they were puppies. Yami escaped the litter with me trailing along but Atemu was adopted by the dog catcher and trained to be a fierce creature. We couldn't recognize him anymore as the loving brother we had before we were separated." he explained and Yugi nodded, frowning a little. Yami lifted his head and smiled. "But who cares. I'm not letting that get me down anymore. Come on, we did say we're going to show Yugi here the ropes right."

"Right."

They headed further into the city and Yami looked around before spotting his target. "Ah, there's breakfast." he said, nodding his head over to the hot dog cart. Yugi looked up as well and nodded. "But how are we going to get breakfast? No one will give food willingly to strays." Yami chuckled, ruffling the fur on Yugi's head a little. "Just watch the masters." he said before nodding over to Aqua. He nodded back before running forward, barking. The man at the cart tried to shoo him off but he wouldn't leave. Yami lifted Yugi up onto his back and Yugi dug his claws into Yami's back enough so he had a firm hold and wouldn't risk falling off while the other ran forward. With the man distracted, he was able to snatch a link of hot dogs before the two ran off, the man yelling angrily at them and they gained distance.

"Whoa, that was awesome!" Yugi cheered, hopping down from Yami's back when they slowed down. "Just a little street saviore faire, Yugi. And you're learning it from the best." Yami said, slinging the links around his neck and he walked on. Yugi followed behind them obediently. "Would I learn how to do that too?"

"Living with us, you're a shoe-in. You'll be stealing fish from the fish market without getting caught once you're ready." Aqua said and Yugi nodded. "But that takes a long time though. I've only been with you for a day."

"Just stick with us and you learn everything." Aqua said as Yami ran over to the traffic, hopping easily onto a car. "One minute I'm in Central Park. Then I'm down on Delancey Street. From the Bow'ry to St Marks. There's a syncopated beat." he said as he moved over to a cement truck. "Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo. I'm streetwise, I can improvise. Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo. I'm street-smart, I've got New York City heart." he said before sliding down the chute and walked along the wet cement. Aqua took Yugi into his jaws before following his brother, walking across the wet cement laid down. Yugi smiled as he wiggled and Aqua let him down before running off with a laugh, Yugi following behind them eagerly.

"Why should I worry? Why should I care? I may not have a dime. But I got street savoire faire. Why should I worry? Why should I care? It's just bebopulation. And I got street saviore faire." Aqua said, washing off his paws with an open hydrant before letting the stream go. Yugi yelped as he tumbled over from the pressure. Yami chuckled as he hopped over him and Yugi was back up and quick to follow. They walked over a vent blowing up air and while Yami and Aqua had no trouble, Yugi yelped as he was sent hovering by the air and Aqua came back, grabbing him in his jaws before trotting after Yami. "The rhythm of the city, but once you get it down then you can own this town. You can wear the crown." Yami sung as he hopped onto a piano being lifted. Aqua let Yugi down once more before hopping on a few cars to meet up with him. Yugi looked around before deciding to try his luck, using a few tarp overhangs to catch up with the lift.

"Why should I worry? Why should I care? I may not have a dime. But I got street savoire faire. Why should I worry? Why should I care? It's just bebopulation. And I got street saviore faire." Yugi readied himself and jumped, getting onto the piano but landed on the keys, causing him to yelp as he slid before Yami was there to catch him before he could fall off. "Ev'rything goes, ev'rything fits. They love me at the Chelsea. They adore me at the Ritz." Aqua hummed as they both hopped down, landing onto a tarp and onto another passing car, Yami settling Yugi in between his front legs as they got a free ride.

"Why should I worry? Why should I care? And even when I cross that line I got street savoire faire." Yami said Yugi laughed softly and nestled into his legs on their little trip. Eventually, they ended up close to the hideout and they hopped off before heading in, seeing that everyone was back with their own breakfast. "Sheesh, Bakura, raided the butcher shop again?" Aqua questioned, seeing the piles of links and a ham which he was eating from, sharing it with Ryou as well. "Yeah and what of it? That old butcher can't keep up with me." he said with a laugh and Aqua only shook his head. Jou looked up and grinned. "Hey there, Yugi! How was your day with Yami and Aqua?"

"It was great! They showed me so much and I got a little lesson in street saviore faire!" he said happily before looking up as Yami placed a hot dog down before him before letting Aqua take his share. "Yeah, you can't learn that better than from them. They're crafty and have the skills to get around town without being caught. That dog catcher has tried many times to catch them but they eluded him through alleys, over rooftops and even in traffic." Jou said and Yugi nodded before biting into his meal. They all ate peacefully and once they were done, leftovers were stored away and they settled down. "So, how did you all meet?" Yugi asked, head resting on Aqua's forearms.

"Yami and Aqua found most of us. A lot of us were near caught by the dog catcher but one of them came right on time to help us out before we could get carted off." Crimson said. "Although some of us weren't willing to go with them easily." he added, looking pointedly at Seto. The other dog huffed and rested his head on his paws. "Shut up, Crimson." he hissed and Crimson chuckled. "You know I love rubbing your fur the wrong way." Seto groaned before looking back over to Yami. "So...game plan yet?" Yami sighed. "I don't know yet. The dog catcher is easy to pass, but..."

"Yeah...your brother is a fierce bastard and he'll tear us apart." Bakura muttered as he glared at him. "You've been taking charge this long but anytime we mention Atemu, you become a cowering puppy. We have a friend in that pound and he lasted longer cause he's a wolfdog with attitude and won't go down easily! But that can't last forever and I would like to see him out of there!" Bakura growled before giving a sigh and Ryou cuddled up close to him, licking Bakura's cheek softly. Yami looked down and was silent for a moment, making Yugi worry as he stood and hopped out from Aqua's arms, moving over to Yami.

"Yami, you can do it. I know you can. You're the strongest dog I know. Sure, you might get into a fight with your brother but a friend's life is on the line and I'm sure you want to get not just him but all the animals stuck in there out." Yami looked down to him before smiling. "You're a little wonder, aren't you?" Yugi smiled and purred as he nuzzled him. "Alright then. We're heading there tonight to save Akefia." The group howled their approval and Aqua smiled.

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Late that night, when they knew both the catcher and Atemu should be asleep, they headed in. There was already a hole dug under the fence, hidden away so neither authority figures would know how they got in and escaped. Diamond stayed outside for security while the rest headed in. Dulled conversations were being held by those still awake and Yami nodded before they got to work. Akefia, a ruffled Czechoslovakian wolfdog, looking up, hearing some commotion. _'About time they arrived.'_ he thought to himself before lowering his head down. Yugi stuck close as they removed the tiny wood stakes that held the cage closed, telling the animals of the situation and where to go to escape. Everything seemed to go according to plan before the chaos started.

"Well well...looks like I got a couple mutts running around the lot." A voice spoke and Yami growled as he turned, seeing another German shepherd standing there, the gold name tag reading off Atemu. "Atemu..." he growled. Atemu turned to him and smirked. "Ah yes...my dear long lost little brother, Yami. I've always wondered why you and Aqua ran from the litter. You could've come along with me and had a simple life here."

"This isn't a simple life! I could never agree to become what you are!" Yami barked and Atemu tsked. "Bad dog. You shouldn't raise your voice at your brother!" he growled before charging at them. "Everyone, move! I'll hold him off!" Yami called and leapt at Atemu, knocking him over but that barely did anything as the other bit into his shoulder, tossing him off. "Yami!" Yugi cried before Aqua shuffled him off. Yami growled as he moved to stand, glaring at Atemu who smirked. "I'll end it for you here." he whispered before lunging at Yami who dodged and ran after the others. Atemu was hot on his heels but he kept running. Yugi turned back to see Atemu gaining closer and closer to Yami and knew he had to do something. He quickly turned, surprising Aqua.

"Yugi! Come back!" he called as the tiny kitten ran at Atemu. He hissed as he unleashed his claws, slashing at the other dog's nose. Atemu yelped but growled as he batted the kitten away. "Yugi!" Yami hollered but Aqua grabbed him. "Come on, we have to go!" he said as the lights of the building came on. Yami was torn between escaping and helping Yugi but with Atemu recovering, he had to make a hated decision. "I'll come back for you, Yugi! Just hold on!" he said before they ducked out of sight as the catcher came. Yugi whimpered pitifully as he moved to stand but looked up into Atemu's face. "You're a brave little kitten for doing that but too bad I'm not a merciless dog like my brother." he whispered as he barked, catching the catcher's attention from the opened cages and walked over.

"What'd you find, Atemu?" The man questioned, bringing the flashlight over to see the tiny kitten. "Oh, a stray kitten meandered in here, huh?" he murmured, reaching down to pick up Yugi by the scruff of his fur. "A weak little thing. He won't last long." He walked over to the only closed cage and opened it, placing Yugi inside before closing it and setting the peg. Atemu trotted over, smirking to them before he was pet by the catcher. "Keep an eye out. Don't need more strays getting in here." he said before heading back to the building. Atemu barked in response before looking back to the cage. "Enjoy your new home, kitty." he said before heading back to his post. Yugi whimpered before curling up, not noticing the other presence with him until he felt someone sniffing him and yowled in surprised, jumping up and skittering away.

"Easy now, kitten. I'm not going to hurt you. You have a familiar scent. You've been hanging around Yami and Aqua haven't you?" Akefia questioned. "Y-yeah...how do you know them?" Yugi asked softly. "I'm the one they're trying to save." he answered as he showed himself in the little lighting they had. "Oh...so you're Akefia?" He nodded. "Yeah. I heard the commotion. What happened?" Yugi explained what happened and he nodded, listening to the story quietly.

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Back at the hideout, Yami was brooding away and Aqua walked over to him. "Yami, you ok?" he asked softly. "Hell no! I can't believe I left Yugi behind! I should've gone back for him!" he growled before burying his face into his arms. Diamond frowned as she walked over. "Don't worry, Yami. We'll go back and get him along with the rest of the animals and Akefia. We're not gonna let no catcher or Atemu stop us." she said and he looked up to her and smiled. "Thanks for the cheer-up, Diamond. Ever since finding him, I've grown attached to him. I do love that little kitten and I would hate for something to happen to someone so young." he murmured. Jou trotted over next. "Don't worry, Yami. I love that little guy too. Probably not as much as you but I see him as a friend that will grow into a great companion for our team."

Yami sat up and looked to them. "Yeah. But I came to a decision. We're not safe here and as long as Yugi is with us, I don't want this happening again. So once we rescue Yugi and Akefia, we're heading out the city and heading somewhere new. Maybe somewhere further up north." Yami said and they nodded before they decided to head to bed. The earlier they get to the pound lot, the better.

The next morning, they ate their fill before they head out, making their way to the lot with a plan in mind. "Alright, I'm heading in there with Aqua. When Akefia and Yugi get out of there, you guys head on through the alleyways. Kaiba should know where to go so let him lead." Yami said as he looked to them. "But what about you and Aqua, Yami?" Ryou asked.

"We'll be right behind you. A little delayed but we have a score to settle with Atemu and we're going to do it now before heading out." Yami answered and they nodded. Yami and Aqua crawled through the hole in the fence, Yami looked around for any sign of Atemu. "So far, it's clear. Come on." Yami whispered as he ran over to the cage where Akefia and Yugi were being held. The two in question were still asleep but Akefia's ears twitched at the sounds of paws hitting the ground and yawned before looking up. "Oh, so you're here." he whispered. "Yeah. We couldn't leave you two here." Aqua said as he went to remove the peg.

"Not so fast, you mutt." Atemu growled as he came up to them. "You would like to die, don't you? That's why you keep coming back." Yami snarled as he stepped up in front of the cage. "Not bloody likely, Atemu. I'm going to take care of you here and now." Yami growled before charging forward and Atemu went to attack as well. Aqua removed the peg and Akefia ran out after nudging Yugi awake. "Come little one, we're out of here." Akefia said as he ran off for the escape. Yugi yawned and stretched before looking up and mewled happily. "Aqua! You came back for me!" he said happily. "Of course. We love you too much to leave you here any longer. We're leaving here now. We can't risk it again." he whispered before looking up, seeing Yami hit his back, Atemu standing over him. "Time to end it for you." he whispered, baring his teeth and ready to tear into his throat.

"Yugi, get going! The others are waiting for you!" Aqua said before running over to them, growling as he landed on Atemu's back and bit into his neck. "Get off!" Atemu hissed as he tried to shake him off. Yugi whimpered as he watched the scene, wanting to help in some way. Yami coughed as he stood shakily. "Yugi...go...we'll be fine..." he whispered and smiled to him. "We'll come back, you'll see..." he said before charging at Atemu, biting into his throat, making him yelp as he tried to fight them off. Yugi gave a nod before running off for the hole, ducking through and Diamond smiled. "Good to see you again, Yugi. Come on and let's get going." Yugi nodded, looking back before he was picked up into Diamond's jaws as she ran off. "I hope Yami and Aqua will be alright." Yugi whispered.

"They will be. Those two dogs can't be taken down easily and while that Atemu is a beast, those two fighting together should injure him." Bakura murmured. "That's how they tackled me down before I joined along with them." Crimson nodded. "Same here with me." Yugi nodded and stayed calm as the pack heading for the north. Atemu growled as he and his brothers stood at a standstill. "You've gotten better for a street rat." he murmured, spitting out a bit of blood. Yami growled angrily. "Shut up! I hate you! I hate you!" he hissed as he lunged for Atemu. Atemu leapt at him as well, catching his neck while Yami grabbed his paw. "I'll end it here for you." Atemu whispered and Yami growled as he clenched tight on his paw.

Aqua howled as he leapt onto Atemu's back, biting into his neck hard and Atemu howled in pain, releasing Yami's neck who in turn cracked Atemu's paw before letting go and jumped away. Aqua moved way as well as Atemu collapsed. "This is the last time you'll see me, brother. I hope you'll learn well from this that strays aren't weaklings."

"They always will be in my eyes and you won't change it." Atemu whispered and Yami only snorted before he limped off with Aqua following behind him. Atemu growled before collapsing and that's where the catcher found him later when he came back.

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When the pack reached the outskirts of the city, they came to a stop and Kaiba handed Yugi a piece of meat that they snatched up during the run. Yugi ate quietly, still worried about Yami and Aqua. Jou came over to him and sat down beside him, ruffling his fur a little. "They'll be alright. You'll see." he said and Yugi looked up to him and nodded, smiling a little. They waited for a while until they saw two figures leaving the city and Yugi smiled as he ran over to Yami and Aqua. "You're ok! You're both ok!" he said happily as he nuzzled Yami's legs. Yami chuckled as he lowered his head down to nuzzle him. "Told you we'll be back." he whispered and Yugi nodded. "I was so worried that you might've gotten killed by Atemu."

"Never worry, Yugi. We will always be here to take care of you."

"Thank you. I don't know where I'll be without you." Yugi murmured and Yami smiled as he licked Yugi's head softly before picking him up in his jaws and nodded to the others. Ryou smiled at seeing Yami and Aqua alright and licked Bakura's cheek softly. Kaiser and Jou barked happily before running off ahead. Kaiba sighed as he followed behind them. Akefia, Bakura, Ryou, Diamond, and Crimson weren't far behind. Yami and Aqua looked to one another and smiled before trailing behind, Yugi purring softly as he was carried by Yami. He went from a lonely kitten stuck in the big city and could've been dead to a member of a wonderful group that showed him how to handle himself now and have a pack behind him that cares and is there to protect him. He still missed his mother and wondered what could've happened to her but now he had a new family and he was happy with that.

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Zypher: And there you have it. My own little twist based of Why Should I Worry from Oliver and Company -chuckles- Yeah, I blame it totally on listening to the song while looking through old links that I saved way back when and the bunny just bit me in the ankle to make this fic. In a way, it can also be consider a fic for Spirit's Cliché Challenge on the BPS forum. Anywho hoped you enjoyed and I'll shall see you later with another chapter. Ta ta -runs off to chase down inspiration and get another chapter started for another story-


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